Australia to Withdraw Combat Troops From Iraq by June 2008

Tim Johnston at the International Herald Tribune has this story:

..."I visited the Australian battle group in Talil and spoke directly to what is a fine body of men and women," Rudd said at a joint news conference Friday in Baghdad with the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. "That battle group will come to a conclusion as of June next year and will be the last battle group we deploy."

But Australia is likely to maintain the deployment of some of the approximately 1,000 support personnel it has in the theater. "Australia will continue to support our friends in Iraq through navy deployments in the Gulf to assist in the long-term security of Iraqi exports," Rudd said.

The confirmation that he would withdraw the 550 Australian combat troops from Iraq, as promised during his campaign, marks a decisive break from the policies of Rudd's predecessor, John Howard, who was one of the staunchest supporters of President George W. Bush's Iraq policies....